Qiu MQ, Yang WJ, Qiu WS, Chen MM. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine and modern technology: A new approach to understanding Changmaxifeng granules for tic disorders. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114342 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114342]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Wu-Si Qiu, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 126 Wenzhou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang Province, China. shihai954@163.com
Research Domain of This Article
Psychology
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Mar 19, 2026 (publication date) through Feb 27, 2026
Times Cited of This Article
Times Cited (0)
Journal Information of This Article
Publication Name
World Journal of Psychiatry
ISSN
2220-3206
Publisher of This Article
Baishideng Publishing Group Inc, 7041 Koll Center Parkway, Suite 160, Pleasanton, CA 94566, USA
Share the Article
Qiu MQ, Yang WJ, Qiu WS, Chen MM. Integrating traditional Chinese medicine and modern technology: A new approach to understanding Changmaxifeng granules for tic disorders. World J Psychiatry 2026; 16(3): 114342 [DOI: 10.5498/wjp.v16.i3.114342]
Ming-Qi Qiu, School of Pharmacy, Inner Mongolia Medical University (Jinshan Campus), Hohhot 010110, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, China
Wen-Jie Yang, Wu-Si Qiu, Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang Province, China
Ming-Min Chen, Department of General Practice, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou 310009, Zhejiang Province, China
Co-corresponding authors: Wu-Si Qiu and Ming-Min Chen.
Author contributions: Qiu MQ and Qiu WS designed the study; Yang WJ and Qiu WS performed references acquisition and interpretation; Qiu MQ, Yang WJ, and Qiu WS wrote the manuscript; Qiu WS critically revised it for important intellectual content; Qiu WS and Chen MM contributed equally to this article, they are the co-corresponding authors of this manuscript; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the Clinical Research Fund Project of Zhejiang Medical Association, China, No. 2021ZYC-A80.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Wu-Si Qiu, MD, PhD, Associate Chief Physician, Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, The Affiliated Hospital of Hangzhou Normal University, No. 126 Wenzhou Road, Gongshu District, Hangzhou 310015, Zhejiang Province, China. shihai954@163.com
Received: September 17, 2025 Revised: November 1, 2025 Accepted: December 15, 2025 Published online: March 19, 2026 Processing time: 163 Days and 15.4 Hours
Abstract
Tic disorders (TDs) are neuropsychiatric conditions characterized by involuntary motor and vocal tics, predominantly affecting children and adolescents. Conventional treatments, primarily psychotropic agents, are often associated with significant side effects and limited long-term efficacy. Changmaxifeng granules (CG), a traditional Chinese medicine formulation, have demonstrated promising clinical results in managing TDs; however, their pharmacodynamic basis and mechanisms of action remain poorly understood. This editorial highlights a study by Xie et al that integrates serum pharmacochemistry, network pharmacology, and molecular docking to systematically elucidate the multi-component, multi-target therapeutic profile of CG. The study identified 187 chemical constituents in vitro and 75 blood-absorbed components (49 prototypes and 26 metabolites) in vivo, with paeoniflorin, gastrodin, tenuifolin, and gallic acid emerging as key bioactive compounds. Network analysis identified critical targets - including tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, Fos proto-oncogene, vascular endothelial growth factor A, and estrogen receptor 1 - and highlighted the involvement of inflammatory and neuroactive pathways in TD pathology. Molecular docking confirmed strong binding affinities between core compounds and these targets, supporting CG’s potential as a safer and effective alternative therapy. While these computational findings are compelling, they require validation in physiological systems. These findings bridge traditional medicine and modern pharmacology, providing a good foundation for future clinical validation and new drug development. Future research should prioritize in vivo functional studies, quantitative pharmacokinetic profiling, and larger-scale clinical trials utilizing precision medicine frameworks that integrate artificial intelligence-driven syndrome stratification, metabolomic biomarkers, and real-time monitoring to fully realize CG’s potential for personalized herbotherapy in TD management.
Core Tip: This article highlights a study that integrates modern analytical and computational methods to systematically uncover the multi-component, multi-target mechanism of Changmaxifeng granules for tic disorders. It identifies 75 blood-absorbed components and their key targets (e.g., tumor necrosis factor, interleukin-6, Fos proto-oncogene), highlighting Changmaxifeng granules’s potential in modulating neuroinflammation and synaptic signaling, and provides a framework for future personalized herbotherapy.
